Who should be the Preseason Player of the Year: Marcus Smart or Andrew Wiggins?

College Basketball Talk | Oct 28

Dauster: The way the season breaks down it seems that there are really only two logical choices for Preseason National Player of the Year: Oklahoma State sophmore point guard Marcus Smart and Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins, a battle made all-the-more juicy by the fact that they represent the two favorites in the Big 12 race.

When it comes down to it, I always err on the side of talent, and with all due respect to Marcus Smart, Wiggins is the most talented player in the country. At his size with his athleticism and his mobility, there really isn’t anything that he can’t do. Throw in the fact that he’s playing on a team that actually will provide him with a supporting cast, and there’s a chance that, come March, the Jayhawks are the best team in the country. Hard to bet against the best player on the best team.

Johnson: While I certainly respect the talent Wiggins possesses, I don’t even know if he’s the most important player on his own team. I’d argue that Naadir Tharpe, the starter at a position (point guard) where the Jayhawks really don’t have a concrete answer behind him, is that guy for Kansas. While skill level and production obviously need to be accounted for when discussing Player of the Year possibilities, I think a player’s importance to his team needs to be factored in as well. That’s why I take Smart, who will once again be asked to set up guys like Le’Bryan Nash and Markel Brown while also scoring himself. With his skills, leadership ability and competitiveness, I think Smart’s the best choice.

Dauster: If Naadir Tharpe is the most important player for Kansas, than wouldn’t Michael Cobbins be the most important player for Oklahoma State? Decent talent looking to prove himself at a position without much depth on an otherwise loaded team?

And if we’re talking about how valuable a player is, let’s think about this: Wiggins may not actively set players up the way Smart does, but the attention that he will garner on the offensive end of the floor will make things that much easier for Wayne Selden and Perry Ellis. I’m not sure either of those guys are quite good enough yet to be the No. 1 and 2 options on a Big 12 contender. But when defenses are keyed in on stopping Wiggins, Selden and Ellis should be able to take advantage.

That said, the key word in your last email was competitiveness. Can Wiggins consistently bring the effort to dominate like he’s capable of?

Johnson: Attempting to apply my Tharpe thinking to Cobbins is apples to oranges and you know it.

As for attention, Smart won’t garner enough to take the pressure off of his teammates? I certainly believe he will, because while guys like Brown and Nash ultimately are talented enough to make things happen in their own the Cowboys have other pieces that need Smart’s presence in order to be at their best. And I think he’s going to be an improved perimeter shooter this season after making just 29% of his shots from beyond the arc in 2012-13, which will make Smart even more dangerous. I’m a big fan of Wiggins but we aren’t talking about the top pick in next summer’s NBA Draft. We’re talking about the best player in college basketball, and right now I’m taking the guy who last season led his team to their first win at Allen Fieldhouse since 1989.